Naruto: The blazing dragon
by maelstromofire
Summary: Kyuubi is absorbed by his superior, Toshin, who then takes the fox's place inside Naruto's body. Watch how Naruto's life will change as he is no longer the container to the Kyuubi.
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys, I had an amazing story idea last night when I was hopped up on a twelve pack of coke and couldn't get to sleep, so here it is. I don't own Naruto. if I did, this is how he would turn out.

Naruto: The blazing dragon

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Naruto held Sasuke lifeless body close to his chest. Memories of all the times they'd had together, good or bad, flashed through his mind. He clenched the boy tighter as a particullarly sad memory roared through his mind.

"Is this the first time you've had a comrade die?" The masked boy asked, his image reflected in the ice mirrors around Naruto. Naruto said nothing. "Tragic." was all the boy said, now reaching for another senbon. Naruto spoke as the ice wielder drew the senbon from the pouch at his hip. "He was the closest thing I had to a friend, and even if we were rivals and always got on each other's nerves, I still thought of him as a friend. An obstacle to overcome at times, at others someone to look up to, but always as a friend."

He slowly set the lifeless body on the ground, his chakra levels beginning to climb. His jumpsuit began to move and ripple, even though there was no wind. His canines elongated and the wihsker marks on his cheeks grew more pronounced, darker. He glared at the boy before him with a look of pure hatred. The hatred was almost palpable in the air and the boy paled behind his mask. Naruto's eyes turned crimson and slitted and red chakra began to pour from his body.

The chakra spun around him, tearing through the stone bridge like a massive buzzsaw. It spiralled upwards into the air, forming the shape of a roaring fox with black eyes above him. **"I'll kill you!" **He roared, running headlong towards the fake hunter nin.

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A lone man walked down a damp sewer, the water lapping at his boots. He had pale blond hair and green eyes as dark as the forest itself. He wore a tattered white cape that covered his body, wrapping around it and connecting with a brooch to the other shoulder. The brooch was a silver leaf. With each step he took the cape fluttered slightly, revealing a white breastplate that seemed to be made from scales. The water splashed the hem of his cloak with each step he took but he paid it no mind, simply continuing to walk.

A large glowing red light began to illuminate the hall, couple with an insane chuckling. The man smirked slightly, he was getting closer. He stepped into the end of the hallway, which opened up into a large room. The water was an inch higher here and steadily rising, but it affected none of the other hallways, as if there was a barrier between this room and the others.

Two large cage doors loomed before, the laughter seeming to originate there. The cage bars were held together with a small piece of paper with the kanji for seal written on it. The red light seemed to glow brighter as the water rose. And as the water rose, so did the laughter, until it was full blown maniacal laughter. Suddenly the creature inside the cage spoke, unaware of his visitor. The voice was deep, powerful, and full of menace. **"Yes!" **it crowed triumphantly. **"The boy has finally tapped into my power, and when he uses enough of it, I'll take over his body. Maybe I'll even make him kill his friends!"**

The maniacal laughter returned, this time even louder that before. The man stood before the cage bars, peering intently at the seal that held them closed. The laughter abruptly stopped as the inhabitant of the cage noticed the man before him.

"Kyuubi," the man said softly. Inside his cage the fox paled, he knew this man, and he was afraid. "**Yoshin-sama," **He said shakily, very nervous of the white clad man. **"It's and honor to see you again." **Yoshin turned his piercing gaze to the Kyuubi, his green eyes boring into him. "You have caused this boy enough harm." The Kyuubi became even paler and began stepping backwards, desprate to get away from the frightening man. The man began to speak. "I would have allowed you far longer reign here had you shown remorse for your actions, formaking this innocent boy' s life a living hell."

He sighed and began reaching for the seal. "But sadly this is not the case, and because of it, this is your punishment." He began to raise into the air, through no mean other than his own. He placed a gloved hand on the seal and Kyuubi cried out fearfully, trying to back even further into his cage, but was stopped by a stone wall. Toshin's eyes began to glow brightly and the Kyuubi screamed, his own esscence fading, moving in a large red stream towards the man who was only the size of a human.

The power flowed into the man, who took it willingly, not even flinching as the scalding chakra poured into his body. The Kyuubi began to grow fainter and fainter, his outline fading before being absorbed by the man. Toshin tore the seal from the cage doors, stepping backwards and once more touching the ground. The bars fell backwards into what had been the Kyuubi's cage before dissloving in the water. He waved a hand, the water disappearing to reveal black marble floors.

His eyes began to glow once more before fading again to their dark green. "I've done what I can for now, be careful boy."

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(Kakashi and Zabuza's fight)

Kakashi's eyes widened as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra. _'What's going on, has the seal broken, I have to get to the bottom of this!' _But then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the Kyuubi's chakra vanished. It was quickly replaced with a different chakra, one much older and more ancient that burst from Naruto's body, casting away the mist and shattering the ice mirrors. Kakashi quickly flipped open one of the pockets of his flak jacket before Zabuza could go after Naruto.

"Zabuza, I'm a busy man, you're a busy man, lets end this with one move!"

From jis pocket he pulled a scroll. He quickly unrolled the scroll before swiping a thump through the blood that coated his chest. He smeared the blood on the scroll, tossing it into the air where it closed with a snap. Kakashi caught it between his fingers as he fell, making handsigns around it. He slammed the scroll into the ground with a shout of "Earth style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" Instead of smashing into the ground the scroll simply vanished. After a moment the kanji that were written along the scroll began to spread out along the ground in a circle. And from that circle came dogs that clamped their teeth onto Zabuza's limbs before he could react, holding him in place.

Kakashi chanced a look over at Naruto and saw that he was covered in white chakra that moved like flames over his body. Now he really had to end this. He flashed through a fe w handseals before holding his right hand palm down towards the ground, and bracing it with his left. Chakra began to manifest in his hand, so thick that it was actually visible. The chakra emitted a shrieking noise, the sound of one thousand birds. "Raikiri!" Kakashi called. "My one and only original jutsu, you should feel honored."

Zabuza chuckled mirthlessly. "Forgive me if I don't embrace my death with open arms." Kakashi said nothing, dashing towards the man with his arm outstretched, hand aiming at the man's heart.

Naruto raced towards the ice mirrors, the force of his feet hitting the bridge gouged holes in the stone. His anger overwhelmed him, and this chakra that he had summoned seemed to be smothering him in his own hatred. It didn't allow him to think except for one thought, kill the one who has caused me such pain. The power the chakra gave him was indescribable. It made him feel like he could defeat any foe with ease, kill anyone that looked at him the wrong way with the flick of a finger. No one would be able to stop him as long as he weilded this power. The power the chakra gave him was like a drug, and he wanted more.

But as quickly as the power had come it disappeared, along with the strength and cravings that it brought. For a moment Naruto stood before the mirrors before raw power coursed through his body. But this power was different from the chakra that had fill his body earlier. This power made him feel truly strong. It made him feel like as long as weilded it he would always be able to protect his allies. And that no matter what he would be able to save his friends should they be in trouble.

The chakra pulsed outwards, shattering the ice mirrors. A piece of the mirror spun into the air above Naruto where Haku emerged from it, senbon in hand. He fell downwards, attempting to impale the blonde through the top of the skull. Naruto raised a hand, not even looking upwards. e grapsed Haku's fist, wrapping his fingers around the needle to prevent it from stabbing him. He glanced up at the boy who was now perfoming a handstand to avoid breaking his arm. His blue eyes had changed color once again, becoming an golden color like a hawk's.

He tossed Haku to the side with a flick of his wrist and the boy slid across the ground, maintaining his footing. Naruto walked calmly towards the boy, but his walk was completely different from its norm. He now walked with grace and dignity, and as Sakura watched, his body changed. His shaggy hair became smooth before growing longer until it reached between his shoulderblades. His ears tapered to slightly rounded points, like elves in the storybooks she had used to read as a child.

Haku quickly created five Mizu Bunshins and had them surround the blond haired boy. Naruto gazed calmly at them as they drew senbon from the pouches at their hips. The real haku jabbed a senbon at the back of his neck, hoping to at least paralyze him. Naruto spun, right arm raised in a blocking position. His raised arm knocked Haku's away before he lashed out with a palm strike that caught the boy in the chest and sent him sprawling along the ground. The mizu bunshins dispelled into water as their creater no longer had the focus to maintain them.

Haku struggled to stand but found that he couldn't. He struggled on his hands and knees, coughing up blood. Naruto realized that he must have broken some ribs with the last blow. He cast a critical eye over the boy. '_Labored breathing, coughing up blood, those ribs have puntured one or both lungs, that boy doesn't have long to live.' _The fire began to condense in his hand, forming a flickering white fireball. He walked up to the boy, kneeling before him.

"You don't have long to live, your ribs have punctured one or both lungs." Haku nodded in understanding, though pain clouded his gaze. "I can end it, quick and painless, I promise." Haku nodded, his cracked and shattered mask falling from his face in pieces, though not enough for Naruto to identify the boy. "If I can't serve Zabuza-sama, then I have no reason to live." Naruto smiled sadly at the boy's conviction. "Goodbye then." He whispered, pressing the fireball into the ice users chest.

The flames ate away at Haku at a rapid rate, but somehow Naruto knew that all the boy would feel was a slight warmth. But even as fast a the flames went, they didn't move fast enough to despose of the face before the last half of the mask fell from the boy's face, revealing a serene expression. Naruto's breath caught in his throat. It was the boy he'd met in the forest, the who had taught him to be truly strong. The body turned entirely to ashes that were blown away in the wind and cast into the sea.

Long before Haku's death Kakashi's lightning blade had pierced Zabuza's chest, killing the man instantly. Kakashi laid the body on the bridge, closing the man's eyes with his hand. Naruto walked over to Kakashi, white flames still flickering on his body. He began to ask his sensei a question but was interrupted but a fat man's laugh. Naruto turned to face the sound with a snarl. A small, fat man in a pinstripe suit stood at the end of the bridge leaning on a cane. A large army of mercenaries and thugs stood behind him, each brandishing a weapon.

"Thank you so much for killing those two. Jonin cost so much, especially when they're nukenin. i was going to have this bunch kill their tired bodies after they beat you but I guess I can make them kill you instead." He cackled madly. The sad thing was, with his small voice box it came out sounding more like a squirrel that had sucked down a gallon of helium than and actual laugh. Naruto snarled at the man who was so short and fat it would put the Pillsbury Doughboy to shame.

"Gatou."He spat.

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And that's the end of chapter 1, read review, and if you have any question include them in your review and I'll try to answer them as best as I can without revealing to much. Here's a question I know will come up, why didn't haku save Zabuza from the chidori Kakashi rushed at zabuza with the chidori right as the mirrors broke, Kakashi and Zabuza are about twenty feet away from each other so haku couldn't get their in time.


	2. Chapter 2

First off I want to say thank you to all of those who review and favorited this story, I don't think I've ever gotten so many of either review, alert, or favorites in one day after releasing the story. Before we get started I want to hear your thoughts on turning this into a Naruto Harem fic. To all of you that say yes just keep in mind that I've never done a story like that before but I do already have some ideas. I have the poll set up on my account page so you can vote once you're done reading the chapter. The poll will be closed tommorow because by then I'll have gotten to where I want stuff to happen tha will change if it's a harem fic or not. So, review, poll, each some nachos I don't care.

Guy's, the white chakra is pretty much fire that covers Naruto's body. Because it came from Toshin this fire channels his power, making Naruto stronger and allowing him to use it in attacks. It doesn't burn very hotly unless it's used in attacks, where as you read last chapter it can almost instantly incinerate people. Also, it doesn't run like normal chakra, it wraps outside of the chakra coils, augmenting Naruto's chakra instead of taking its place. Just thought I'd clear that up for you guys.

Naruto: The blazing dragon chapter 2

Gatou(remember to say it with a snarl like he's a piece of shit)

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Gatou brandished his cane with a threatening look in his eyes. Though with his diminutive stature it looked more like a squirrel brandishing a toothpick. Naruto's amber eyes glowed slightly brighter and the white fire was back in full force to his body. Naruto took a slow step towards the man, idly moving the two fingers of his left hand like he was twirling an object. As he spoke fire condensed to the spot before elongating to form a rod about four feet long. The rod was black with a sliver serpent dragon wrapping around it and towards the top of the shaft. Though the dragon ended before a head had appeared. "Gatou you sick and twisted man, you have done all this to wave and yet you feel no remorse for your actions."

More white fire traveled along the handle before splitting in two as it reached the end and forming the basic outline for a set of dragon's wings. Naruto continually walked towards the Pillsbury Doughboy incarnate, who shrank backwards each time the strange boy got closer, probably expecting to be thrown into the oven and made in croissant biscuits. The fire filled the wings before solidifying, turning them into two black wings, outlined with white. Though by the way their edges gleamed in the light, these were not just wings.

Naruto strode towards Gatou's army calmly, though his eyes betrayed the rage he felt. Naruto turned the strange weapon so that the wings pointed down towards the bridge, twirling it calmly. The blades whistled as the turned through the air and fire began to gather at the tip of the handle.It took the shape of a dragon's open mouth before solidifying into a white skull. Long, curved horns protruded from it, pointing forwards and almost connecting to a point near the ground.

Kakashi stood, watching in amazement as a spear appeared from nowhere. He decided to watch his student and jump in if he needed help. "Gatou, your crimes cannot go unpunished. I'll end your reign right here." Gatou smirked, running to the back of the band of the mercenaries where he called, "What are you waiting for, kill him!" The mercenaries needed no further incentive and rushed towards the blond boy. Naruto paused, lowering the spear so that the horns sparked against the ground.

He stopped suddenly, resting the horns against the ground. Suddenly he simply, disappeared. But it wasn't the normal shinobi shunshin, there wasn't a blur of movement or a swirl of leaves, it was simply that he was then and then he wasn't. There was scream from behind him and the lead mercenary turned to see one of his mercenaries on the ground, the boy standing before him. One of the mercenaries tried to attack Naruto from behind but the boy simply jabbed backwards with the butt of his spear, catching the man in the chest. He quickly spun, smashing the man in the head with the flat of one of the wings.

The man crumpled to the ground, instantly unconcious. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man before him. He turned slowly, holding his arms up in a 'come on' gesture. As the mercenaries attacked Naruto he spun, smacked, pummeled, and curbstomped with reckless abandon. In less than two minutes Gatou's entire army was laying incapacitiated around his feet, only one or two of them would suffer lasting damage. Naruto turned slowly to Gatou, hatred clear in his eyes and he strode towards the frightened man.

"You scum, hiding here sniveling while your lackeys do the work for you, by all rights I could kill you right here. But I won't, instead you're going to give me all your bank account information." Gatou gasped. He wanted his life, and as long as he lived he could con more people out of their money and emerge richer than he had been before. Gatou nodded, scribbling a few numbers on a piece of paper and handing it to Naruto. The boy nodded and began to walk away.

Gatou smirked,grabbing his cane and pulling the handle to reveal a sword. He charged at the boy, aiming to stab him in the back. Naruto sighed as he heard the fat man's footsteps behind him. He quickly flipped his spear backwards before grasping the handle with both hands. He plunged backwards as Gatou got within range, hearing a surprised gurgle as the horns pierced the man's chest. He pulled the horns from Gatou's chest, cleaning them off with a hankercheif that he stole from Gatou's suit pocket.

"You fool." He muttered, walking towards Sasuke's body, Sakura was already there, Tazuna following her to se the condition of the boy. "You know," The pink haired girl was saying. "I was always proud of my smarts, it gave me something to be happy about because I wasn't as strong of as dedicated to being a ninja as any of the others. I'll admit that I was just there for Sasuke-kun, and that the true reality of being a ninja didn't every sink into me, I know Iruka-sensei mentioned a bunch of times but I was too busy thinking about how to get Sasuke-kun to like me that I never paid attention. I always knew the answers to tests, I always got 100's on them."

She hiccuped, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "One day, there was a test that asked what rule #27 of shinobi conduct was and I answered it correctly, just like always. A shinobi must never show their emotions, no matter what the situation, emotions are a liability." She could no longer hold back her tears and they fell freely onto Sasuke's prone body. '_What kind of monsters are they trying to turn these kids into?_' Tazuna though to himself.

A groan came from Sasuke and he slowly sat up, much to Sakura's delight. "Sasuke!" she cried happily. "Everything... hurts." He ground out a she gave him a hug. Naruto chuckled happily, a large smile appearing on his face. "What are you laughing at dobe?" he asked with a growl, though he too gave the blond haired boy a small smile. "Here, let me help you." He knelt down at began removing the senbon from Sasuke's body. With each needle he removed Sasuke felt a little better and the pain began to recede. "That boy, he wasn't aiming for vital points." Naruto looked up from pulling a kunai from Sasuke's shoulder.

"What?" Sasuke shook his head. "That boy wasn't aiming for vital points, those senbon were meant to put me in a near death state like he did with Zabuza." Naruto's eyes widened and his shoulders began to shake slightly. "Then i, I killed him for no reason." He pulled a needle from Sasuke throat and the avenger found it easier to talk. "What do you mean you killed him," his eyes spotted the spear that Naruto had set down. "and where did you get that spear?" Naruto looked up, smiling sadly. "It's a long story, I'll tell you when we head home."

Sasuke nodded, he didn't like being kept in the dark but it at least seemed that Naruto was going to tell him what happened. Naruto stood up, having finished removing the needles that covered sasuke's body. He pressed the piece of paper into Tazuna's hand before whispering, "This bridge will bring prosperity to Wave, but this will help move things along a little faster." Tazuna opened his hand to see a piece of paper with Gatou's bank account number and the current balance. Tears came to his eyes, this could help Wave prosper so much quicker. Naruto picked his spear up off the ground

There was a loud roar as Inari's army of villagers poured onto the bridge, only to stop and stare in amazement at Gatou's enditre army laying unconcious on the bridge, along with the man himself lying dead on the ground. "Inari," Naruto called, motion for the boy to stand in front of him. A warm smile lit up his face as he stared at the boy in front of him, along with a chuckle as he saw Inari's 'army gear.' "You did well, getting the villagers to come and fight for what they believe in, you have the makings of a good shinobi, should you decide to take that road." He ruffled the boy's hair before walking over to stand with Kakashi and the rest of his team.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Kakashi asked, his team nodded and together they set off down the road, back towards Konoha. Inari had tears in his eyes as he watched his 'Nii-san' leave. "What should we name the bridge?" Inari asked. Tazuna though for a moment. "How about we name it after the boy who brought peace and prosperity to Wave? The Great Naruto Bridge." Inari smiled happily. "Yeah, I think that's a great name Grandad."

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Hey guys, sorry this chapter's not incredibly long, but it just seemed like the perfect spot to end the story. Read and review, let me know what you think, next chapter, the chunin exams start and Naruto meets Toshin.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to all of you who voted in the poll, it was a pretty decisive vote for harem so that's what's gonna happen. I'm not gonna open a poll for who's gonna be in the harem because I already know who I want to be in there, and no, I won't tell you because it's going to be a surprise. So thanks to all of you that reviewed.

Here's chapter 3 of Naruto:The blazing dragon

The Chunin Exams and Toshin's gift

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Naruto unlocked the door to his apartment, leaning his spear against the wall before flopping down onto his bed. It had been a long day. The had returned to the village after a three day long trek back from Wave, who he was happy to hear was already flourishing with the completion of the bridge and the money that Gatou had stolen from them. He had explained to Sasuke where he had gotten the spear but that he didn't know how he had summoned the white fire that had covered his body, that all he knew was that he felt incredibly angry at Haku for almost killing the avenger.

Then they had reported to the Hokage's office for a debriefing of their mission, where the old man had made Naruto stay after his teamates had left and explain all he had felt when he had used the white chakra, making sure that it wasn't Kyuubi. He sighed, rolling over and punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape before drifting off to sleep. As he did he realized that he had felt quite different from using that white chakra. He could think more clearly and it was as if someone had dulled the pain that the glares and whispers had brought when he had returned to Konoha.

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(Mindscape)

Naruto stood in the middle of a large black marble hall. The walls were black marble as well but were covered in white cracks that pulsed a bluish white color. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the odd settings, this was not his bed. He walked forward, moving towards a white light that seemed to glow at the end of the hallway. His steps echoed loudly off the walls, the white light growing brighter as he neared it. Naruto began to squint at its brightness and when he believed it was too bright to continue to look at the light faded, revealing him in a large room with the same walls and floor as the hallways that he had been passing through earlier. But in this room there were far more viens in the rock and they glowed brighter that the ones in the hallway had, which must have been giving off the large amounts of light that he'd seen.

The light they gave off had dimmed enough for him to see clearly without being blinded by it and he cast his eyes around the room, wondering what was so important about this room for their to be so many veins of light here. He noticed a man sitting on a white marble through that appeared to have been carved seemlessly from the floor as there was no noticable break from the throne and the floor. The man had pale blond hair and dark green eyes, but his body was covered by the white cloak he wore.

The man smiled upon seeing Naruto enter the room, standing up and walking over to the boy. "Where am I?" Naruto asked the man before him. "You're in your mind Naruto?" Naruto cast his eyes around the room. "Then where the Kyuubi, shouldn't he be here?" The man chuckled softly and waved an arm through the air. From the ground rose another marble throne which he gestured Naruto to take a seat in. He made a smaller throne for himself, taking a seat before the former jinchuuriki.

"The Kyuubi is gone, I took care of him." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you took care of him, who are you exactly?" The man stood up, bowing before Naruto. "Forigve me sire, my name is Toshin and I was the Kyuubi's superior. When you summoned his chakra at the bridge in Wave country he planned to pumpmore into you that you could handle and take control of your body. I could not let this happen so I traveled here through the spiritual plane which I speak to you about in a moment. The seal that was on the Kyuubi's cage was design to take his chakra, purify it, and then add it to your already large reserves. I merely sped up the process, absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Why did you call me sire?" Naruto asked. Toshin raised an eyebrow at the question. "Because I have accepted you as my master, you have tapped into my power before with no adverse effects other than your changing features." Naruto's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "So it was your power on the bridge, you're the reason that Kyuubi's chakra disappeared as I fought Haku." The man nodded. "As I said he was planning to control your body once you channeled it, and this was something that I could not allow."

"But why me?" Naruto asked. Toshin sat back down on his throne. "Because I have taken an intrest in you, Uzumaki Naruto. For thirteen years you have held the Kyuubi at bay through the power of your own will. The seal was only design to drain the Kyuubi's chakra and make him weaker, but it was your will that subjugated him. I've seen how he damaged your life and mind, and made it my duty to repair it." Naruto gestured at the stone around him. "So this was your doing?" He asked. "Only partly sire, this is how your mind originally looked, but after years of the Kyuubi's dark influence and amplifying the anger you felt towards those around you, you mind turned into a dark sewer. I am merely cleaning the mess he made."

Naruto nodded. "What about those glowing veins in the walls?" Toshin smiled slightly. "Those are your chakra pathways, and the reason they glow so brightly is from the amount of chakra you constantly have running through them. The glow white because my chakra is also a part of your chakra pathways. The Kyuubi's chakra forced your chakra from the coils, running his own foul chakra through them and damaging them. My power acts in a different way, It wraps around your coils, amplifying the power of the chakra you already have running through them, as well as giving it the white color."

Naruto nodded, taking in all the information he was being given. "What of the spear I created?" Toshin's eyes seemed to shine and Naruto's spear appeared in his hand. "This spear?" he asked. when Naruto nodded he continued. "This spear is a manifestation of your desire to help your friends, you needed a weapon and my power formed one for you."

"What about that spiritual plane you mentioned?" Naruto asked. "The spiritual plane is know to you mortals as the summoning plane, it is where all the tailed demons traveled to earth from and is also where the summoned creatures you human's favor reside." Naruto pointed at his spear, which was still in Toshin's hand. "What about the spear, does it have any abilities?" Toshin stood before standing up, his throne receding into the stone below him.

"No the spear itself does not have any special abilities but I does when you channel my power into it, watch." He began to channel his power into the spear. His eyes gowed brightly and his hair and cloak began to ruffle in a nonexistant wind. The spear began to flicker, flames appearing on the shaft of it. Toshin began to spin the spear rapidly, the whistle of the metal wings through the air was like a roar in Naruto's ears. Toshin stopped spinning it before quickly jabbing forwards with a cry of "Dragon's Roar!" A large ball of white fire burst from the dragon's mouth, crossing the length of the room in the blink of an eye before impacting with the wall.

A large crater formed in the wall before quickly sealing itself up. Toshin handed Naruto the spear. "This technique is my gift to you, and with it you wil have an instinctive knowledge of how to channel my power through your body. My next gift will come when I believe you are ready for it, but for now, you're waking up. Goodbye, Master Naruto. I will speak with you again when you rest tonight." Naruto nodded as he felt himself being pulled into the world of the waking. "Thank you." He said, before disappearing from his mind.

Toshin sighed, staring at the spot where Naruto had been. "No, thank you Master Naruto, I only wish I could do more for you, you deserve all the happiness in the world for all the bad that has happened to you."

* * *

Naruto groaned as he awoke, cursing the evil monster that is the alarm clock. He sat up, scratching his now longer hair. The changes from first using Toshin's power had stayed with him ever since he'd used it. He sighed and began readying himself for another D-Rank mission. He slipped on his orange jumpsuit, grimacing at it. It was starting to get too short and he should probably buy something else. He'd refrained from buying clothes because if he did he wouldn't be able to afford all the ramen he ate. But now, with all the money he was making from missions he could probably afford some new clothes. He nodded resolutely, that's what he was going to do today.

He tied his long hair back into a ponytail, allowing the front to hang loose before forming a quick handseal. A shadow clone flickered into existence beside him. "You," he intructed it. "Go meet up with my team and do the mission that is assigned to you." The clone saluted before running out the door. Naruto walked out his door as well after grabbing his spear. He shut and locked the door before vaulting over the railing with his free hand to land easily on the street twenty feet below him. He walked along the streets for about half an hour before seeing a store that he like. Higurashi Weapons Shop.

Naruto walked in, whistling a small tune. There were display racks with shinobi clothes folded neatly along them. Various weapons were mounted on the wall but Naruto no longer needed one of those. He glance down at his spear, smiling. He was browsing through the clothes when a bun-haired girl walked out of a back room, where he could hear the sound of a forge. She wore a pink chinese style shirt with green pants along with black shinobi sandals.

She saw the boy looking through clothes. "Hi, I'm Higurashi Tenten, how can I help you?"

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Again, sorry for the short chapter but you guys should just be happy that I updated twice in one day. Next chapter the chunin exams are announced. Which makes me ask, would you guys like longer chapters and slower updates, or shorter chapters and faster updates, just include you answer in your review but be sure to review the story as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everybody, sorry for the late update but I've been typing up my actual story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited, this story is now on par with An angel in human form in both favorites and alerts, and has surpassed it in reviews. Thanks again everybody. Because I haven't updated in a while, this chapter's extra long Here's chapter 4.

A new outfit, and a proclamation of what's to come

* * *

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the girl who had come out of the back room. "Well, I've really never been clothes shopping before, could you help me out?" Tenten eyed the boy in front of her curiously. "What do you mean you've never been clothes shopping before?" She paused, seeing his jumpsuit, no ninja in their right mind would wear that. "Alright, I'll see what I can do for you. Tell me what you want and I'll see if I can find something close to it."

Naruto opened his wallet, counting the money with one hand while counting how many articles of clothing he could buy with it at the four times inflation. He sighed defeatedly, stepping over to a clothes rack and pulling off a black long sleeve shirt. The shirt was mostly black but had stylized white flames at the bottoms of each sleeve, but Naruto could tell it was special. Tenten nodded when he gave it to her to ring up. "This is a great shirt, the cloth was infused with chakra when it was spun so if you infuse the shirt with chakra it become like as strong as metal with the flexibility of cloth. That'll be 100 ryu, but are you sure that's all you want?"

Naruto could only stare in amazement, mouth agape. This store was charging him the actual price of the shirt. If she kept doing that, he'd have enough to buy an actual shinobi outfit. "If that's all you're going to charge me, do you have any pants or jackets made of the same material?" Tenten eyed him suspiciously, wondering what he meant by 'if that's all you're going to charge me.' But soon nodded, walking towards the back wall and pulling off a pair of pants along with a flak jacket. Naruto smiled happily, glad that they had them, but at the same time wondering why she didn't quadrouple the price.

She handed the clothes to him, which consisted of midnight blue shinobi pants along with a grey flak jacket. "Go try them on, the changing rooms are back that way, I'll ring them up for you after you know if you like them." She pointed towards a sign that said changing room hung above an entryway on the the back wall. Naruto stepped inside, pulling on a the clothes while retying his hitai-ate around his right arm. With it tied around his forehead it looked like it held back his hair, something he did not want. He exained himself in the mirror, before experimentally channeling a bit of chakra into the clothing. The clothing was enshrouded by a faint blue glow that soon faded away. He rapped the vest, wincing as he knuckles instantly bounced off.

He released the chakra and the clothes once again became as hard as cloth. He allowed himself a small smirk before walking back out into the shop, catching sight of Tenten practicing slow katas with his spear in the center of the shop. He gave a small cough and the girl instantly turned around, face red with embarrasment. She quickly gave the spear back to its owner, stammering an apology. "Sorry it just seemed so amazing, we don't get many spear users here in Konoha..." She trailed off as she caught sight of Naruto's new attire, as well as the ease that he spun the spear around his fingertips.

He planted the butt of the spear onto the ground, grinning. "It's pretty cool isn't it." Tenten could only nod, taking in Naruto's new look. His jumpsuit had hidden his true strength with how baggy it was, but these clothes showed off the muscles he had aquired training. Tenten couldn't help staring at how amazing the boy in front of her look. But she was quickly snapped out of her trance by a hand waving in front of her face. "Tenten, you there?" She nodded quickly. "You know," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I really don't know how to use this spear other than the instincts I had when I first got it, could you teach me? You look like you know a lot about them."

Tenten nodded, smiling. "I'd be happy to help you, just stop by and tell me when you want to practice. I'm sure it'll be fun-" She paused, embarressed for not knowing the boy's name. Naruto smiled, walking towards the door. "Uzumaki Naruto. I'll see you later Tenten." With that he was gone, disappeared into the ever present crowds of Konoha. Tenten leaned against the counter, repeating his name to herself. "Uzumaki... Naruto." She failed to hear the door behind her open, nor did she see her father come out. "Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

Tenten jumped, his voice having startled her. The burly man chuckled. "He's a good kid, everytime I walk past the training feilds he's there, now matter what time of day it is. He doesn't usually notice me though, too busy trying to beat that Uchiha." The elder man had a general distaste for the uchiha, and their bloodline. tenten shook her head. "From what you've told me and what I've seen, I'm sure he can do it." Her father laughed again. "With how much that boy trains, I wouldn't be suprised if he's already surpassed his rival. But you have a lot of confidence in him huh?" He asked, nudging his daughter's side. "Developing a crush on our blond ninja are you?"

"Dad!" Tenten cried, shoving her father back towards the forge. "Get back where you belong!" She sighed. "Dirty old man." She could deny her father all she wanted, but she couldn't deny the blush that was still present on her face.

* * *

Naruto ended up in training ground 13 by the end of his wandering. He had been lost in his thoughts, leaving to wonder just how he had gotten there. He sighed, plating his spear into the ground he formed a familiar cross shaped handseal. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" 200 clones flickered to life all around him, none of them carrying a spear. He frowned, he'd have to remember to hold his spear next time. Shrugging his shoulders he pulled his spear out from the ground, spinning it once before holding it behind his back, parallel to the ground. He gave a mental command and all the clones rushed forward.

Naruto spun, catching a clone is the side of the head with the dragon head at the end of the spear. He lashed backwards, catching another in the stomach. He spun the spear above his head before gripping the shaft of it at the lowest point and swinging the spear. His increased range allowed him to take out the first ring of clones that had encircled him and gave him a little breathing room. He began to spin the spear, slowly at first but picking up speed. White flames began to flicker along it, condensing in the dragon's maw. He thrust the spear forward with a shout of "Dragon's Roar!" A large ball of energy shot forth from the dragon's mouth, obliteration fifty of the clones in front of him before impacting against a large tree and leaving a massive crater over twenty feet wide.

Naruto smirked, holding the spear in a ready position before dashing into the sea of clones. He lashed out three times, each strike connecting with a clone. He spun, releasing his grip on the top half of the spear and allowing the area of the swing to lengthen, taking out multiple clones with the strike. He jabbed once, spun and then cracked a clone between the eyes with the butt of the spear. He resumed jerked his spear, catching a clone in the chin and sending it into the air. Naruto leapt up after it, smacking it back down to earth with a horizantal slash. Naruto let himself fall back down to the ground, landing in the center of the few remaining clones. There was a flash of movement and the clones disappeared in a poof of smoke. Naruto stared, he hadn't done anything.

He heard a slight ding as something metal hit a rock and looked down, seeing three kunai laying on the ground. He picked one up, staring at it quizically. A small smile graced his face as he saw who'd thrown them. Tenten walked out of the woods, smirking. "Hey Tenten, what are you doing here?"

She walked up to him, smiled once, and then swiped her kunai from Naruto's hand. She picked her other two off the ground tossing them into the air when they flipped once before falling point down into the pouch strapped to her leg. "this is my training ground, I use it when no one's around." She pointed towards a row of straw dummies tied to trees. Each of them sported various wounds; missing head, katana slash down the chest, and multiple puncture wounds. "Those are mine."

"Ah," said Naruto, nodding. "You're really good with weapons, aren't you?" It wasn't really a question, though he phrased it like one. Tenten nodded. "You don't work in a forge and not learn how to use the weapons you make." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You made all those weapons in your shop?" He asked. "Well, me and my dad, he almost always works in the forge, I sell the weapons. He sells the stuff personally if it's an important client though, we don't get many of those, given how small our shop is." Her voice took on a tone of sadness as she said it but she quickly covered it up with a cheerful face. "It doesn't matter though, we get by."

Naruto noticed the sadness she hid, but decided not to press her about it. If she wanted him to know about it she wouldn't have covered it up. "So how come you like chinese clothes so much?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Tenten brightened at the question. "These were my mom's she used to be the weapons mistress, like me, but she died during a mission when I was only three." She didn't seem sad as she answered the question, in fact she seemed to be happy to talk about her mother. "I'm sorry." Naruto apoligized, but she waved it away. "It's fine, I don't get to talk about her much and dad only tells me a few things at a time."

Naruto nodded, 'it must be nice to have parents.' he reasoned. Naruto sat down, leaning against a tree. "So why are you out here Tenten?" She looked away for a second before saying, "Tell me why you're here first." Naruto shrugged. "Not really sure, I was just wandering around and I ended up here, decided to train a bit. Now, how come you're out here?" She smiled lightly, as if afraid to ask what she was going to ask. "The chunin exams are coming up, you know?" Naruto sat up a little straighter, he had heard a few rumours about it since he'd been back but had disregarded them. "And I was wondering if you'd like to train with me to prepare for them. Naruto stood up, smiling. "No problem Tenten." He glanced upwards, seeing how late it was getting.

"Tenten, I'm sorry but I've gotta run, I'll stop by the shop tommorow okay?" She nodded and called out after him as he ran off. "Don't forget!" He looked over his shoulder, flashing her a quick grin. "Don't worry, I won't forget, I promise!" And then he was gone, like he'd never even been at the training field in the first place. She sighed to herself. "you'd better not forget Naruto."

* * *

Naruto ran towards Ichiraku Ramen, hoping he'd be able to make it in time for the half price lunch special. He paused, hearing faint shouting. He rounded the corner, seeing Konohamaru being held in the air by a guy in a black ninja suit with kabuki style facepaint. On his back was what looked like a cylinder wrapped in bandages. A blond haired girl stood behind him, her hair in four pigtails. A large metal instrument was strapped to her back. They each wore headbands signifying they were from Suna. "I think I should pound him to teach this kid a lesson about running into people." He raised a fist. Sakura, who had been standing back, now spoke up. "No, don't jurt him, he called me ugly and a banshee so I chased after him and he ran into you." The black suited nin looked quizzically at her. "You were going to beat him up for telling the truth?" He asked.

Sakura fumed but held her ground, knowing that she would be no match for this nin, or any nin for that matter. (God I hate that pink haired banshee so much.) Naruto glared, he had seen enough. He threw the spear, watching the Suna nin's amazed look as a spear suddenly arced out of the sky to land in front of him. Suddenly the spear tip was at his throat, a blonde ninja in black shinobi gear stood in front of him, hair shadowing his eyes. "It isn't wise to pick on the village leader's grandson, I don't care if you're here for the exams or not, if I catch you threatening another Konoha nin, I will kill you." He looked up, locking eyes with the nin. His eyes were the color of solid amber and he exuded a kind of strength that Kankoro had never felt before.

But still the fool held his ground. He reached behind him with his free hand, attempting to grab the bundle on his back. "You little runt, Maybe Karasu and I can-" His eyes widened as a raspy monotone reached his ears. "Kankoro, put the boy down, you don't want to cause and incident." Naruto looked towards where the voice was comming from. A red-headed boy with a large gourd strapped to his back hung upside down from a tree branch, Naruto could feel a great killing intent coming from him. "It's not my fault," the kabuki stammered. "This kid ran into-" Gaara interrupted him. "Shut up, or I'll kill you, as could the blond who carries the spear, you're just too foolish to realize it." Naruto lowered the spear as a swirl of sand appeared next to him, revealing Gaara. "I'm sorry for my brother's stupidity, Kankoro!" he snapped, his voice for once taking on a tone. "Set the boy down."

Naruto grinned. "You're taking the chunin exams, right?" He asked. Gaara nodded. "Good, I look forward to fighting you, I'm sure it'll be fun." Gaara simply stared blankly at the term before saying, "I look forward to fighting you as well. Sabaku no Gaara." He said. "Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara nodded, walking away with his teammates. "That was way cool boss." Konohamaru said. "Where'd you learn how to do that?" Naruto shrugged. "Practice, I guess."

Suddenly a pebble came flying at Gaara. Sand came out of the gourd, catching the rock in midair. Naruto and Gaara both turned to see who had thrown the pebble. One of them bored, The other one dumbstruck by the boy's idiocy. Sasuke sat up in a tree, tossing another peeble in his hand. His sharingan blazed to life as he crushed the rock in his hand with an unnescesary show of force. Naruto simply sighed. '_And here comes emo jerk to save the day.' _"What are you freaks doing here, it's against the rules to be in another village, even if they do have a peace treaty." Naruto turned to Sasuke, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Dumbass, they're here for the chunin exams!" Sasuke snarled and leapt out of the tree, walking up to the trio of Sand nin. "What's your name?" He asked, head too far up his ass to see that they didn't ccare about his 'amazing Uchiha bloodline.' Sakura however, had hearts in her eyes.

Gaara turned, giving the boy a large dose of killing intent. "I guess you'll just have to find out." With that all three disappeared in a swirl of sand. Sasuke just stared dumbfounded, no one had ever refused him anything. He turned to Naruto, glaring at the boy. "Hey dobe, who were those three?" Naruto shrugged, feigning ignorance. "No idea. Guess we'll find out in the exams."

* * *

The four jonin stood in the hokage's office. "You all know that the chunin exams are one week from today don't you?" All the jonin nodded. "Then I shall formally announce it. "The chunin exams will take place in one week.

* * *

And tadaa, that's the end of chapter four, sorry you guys had to wait so long, I've decided to start writing longer chapters as well, so while there may only be one update a week, it will be usually longer than this one. So read, review, tell me what you think. I accept constructive criticism when it comes to annonymous reviews, but if you only say bad things about the story in your review it will be deleted. you know the drill.

Ja Ne

-Maelstromofire


	5. Chapter 5

hey guys, I know it's been a long time since I've updated by I've been doin a lot of stuff the past couple weeks. Getting my drivers permit, woot finally! Along with that I've been helping Shika Lazy with a takeover of my story, Demon emergence, shinigami Naruto. This story is now kicking the crap out of An AAHF so thanks to all of you who favorited and alerted. It's pretty much tied with Shinigami Naruto in alearts, nowhere close in reviews or c2's ut it's getting up there.

However, I regret to tell you all that this will be my last chapter for a while. I'll be starting school again in a couple days and my first couple classes are biology and geometry so I'll be pretty swamped with schoolwork and studying. But you guys came here for a chapter and that's what you're going to get.

And now to my real topic for this authors note. A problem has come to my attention and I wan't to know how you guys feel about it. I'm sorry to all of you who voted in the poll but I really don't want it to be a Naruto Harem story. Which brings me to my next problem. I really enjoy writing Naru/hina pairings and not so much Naru/Ten. Naru/Ten is a good pairing and I enjoy reading it, it's just hard for me to write it and I don't know why. So I ask you guys, will you continue reading if I make it a Naru/Hina pairing? Include your answer in your review and read the story. I'll still have Tenten be a big character in this fic, she just wouldn't be the main girl.

000

Naruto lay on his small bed inside his rat hole of an apartment. His spear leaned against the wall, the bladed wings glowing slightly in the light of the full moon that streamed through an open window. Naruto paid it no mind, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice much else. He sighed, sitting upright and swinging his legs over the edge of the matress. "The Chunin Exams huh?" He mused quietly to himself. He hadn't shown it to any of the people he'd seen today, but truth be told, he was nervous.

The Chunin exams were where genin from all across the five elemental nations gathered to test their strength and rise in their ninja ranks. There were sure to be a lot of strong fighters there, and that made him grin at the prospect of a challenge, but in two of the three tests that they administered, he knew that killing was permitted. He was strong, but if he ran into an enemy stronger than he was...

He shook his head, ridding himself of those traitorous thoughts. Of course he was strong enough! He was Uzumaki Naruto, he would be fine, heck he could probably beat all the contestants at once with one hand tied behind his back. He sighed again, not believing a single word of his self proclaimed truth, nor was he moved by the false sense of bravado that flooded his system.

The boy he had met today, Gaara, was sure to be incredibley strong. The killing intent that he had exuded uncounciously... Naruto shuddered at the thought. The bloodlust that had poured from the red haired boy when Sasuke's hand had landed on his shoulder had been almost palpable. If Kakashi ended up recomending them for the Exams he knew he was in for a fight if he went up against the suna genin. The way Tenten had spoken about the Chunin exams made it sound like she was sure she would be entering, meaning her sensei had already told her that he would be recomending her team.

He groaned, standing up and walking over to his dresser. He was now far too worked up to fall asleep, and he knew it. From his dresser he pulled the chakra clothes he had bought, slipping them on. The blond boy turned, shutting the dresser and grabbing his spear in a single fluid motion. He pulled open his apartment door and stepped out into the cold night air.

The streets of Konoha were utterly deserted at this time of night. All of the brightly colored building and shops had been turned a dark black as the sun had faded into the horizon, leaving them looking only as an imposing wall of shadow. The shopkeepers had closed by now and the light they usually provided at nights like this was strangely absent.

The clouds had obscured the moon and the stars, effectively cutting off the light from above, rendering the darkness complete and absolute. Naruto ignored all this, stepping up onto the railing and simply taking one more step forward, falling the twenty feet straight down to the ground in an instant. The spear wielder landed easily, not even breaking stride as he set off across town, spear slung over one shoulder.

The leaves danced through the air behind him, blown by his brisk pace. There was a small flurry in a few of them and they spun in a circle around the boy. But when they settled, the boy was nowhere to be found. A dark shaped detached itself from Naruto's rooftop, leaping down and landing in the spot where the had disappeared. The watcher's face was shadowed, but an angry voice echoed through the darkness.

"Where are you going dobe?"

The clouds shifted above in the sky and the light from the moon shone down, illuminating the face of Sasuke. His eyes were the blood red of the sharingan, his tomoes spinning madly. "I will find where you got the power you used at the bridge, and when I do, I will use it to crush my older brother!" He leapt back onto the roof of Naruto's apartment, speeding off across town to find the blond boy.

000

The leaves swirled again and Naruto sat atop a large pole in the middle of training ground thirteen. His spear was planted point first into the ground before him, its handle resting against his shoulder. His feet dangled off, too short to reach the ground from where he was. He hopped down, gripping the spear handle and pulling it from the ground with a quick jerk. He twirled it once, clearing the dirt and debris from its tip before his fingers formed into a familiar ram seal, the spear still held in his hands.

Fifty clones flickered into existance, each with an identical spear in their hands and smirk plastered onto their faces as the original. He slid into a loose stance, his body turned to the side as he stared down the clones. He feet were spread an even distance apart as he faced down his enemies, his spear held tightly in his left hand, the dragon's head rested on the outstretched index and middle fingers of his right.

"Let's go then." He said quietly. "Fighting always did calm my nerves." He blurred from existance, reapearing in the center of the clones. He impaled a clone before it had any ide he was there, Toshin's power crackling around his body in the form of white lightlning instead of fire. The clone behind him attempted to impale him from behind bu he turned to the side, pivoting on one foot and bringing the bladed dragon wing into the clone's stomach, cutting it in half. He ducked a slash from behind, lashing upwards with a mule kick that caught the clone in the chin, turning it into a cloud of smoke.

He spun in a circle as he rose,the wings and tip of his spear tearing through many of the clones that were attempting to stab him. They too, dispersed into smoke. He stabbed the spear into the ground, resting a foot on one of the wings. He grinned, quickly dashing forward and delivering a flurry of punches to a nearby clone, lashing out with a spinning kick that caught the clone that had tried to rush through the smoke square in the chin. He leapt backwards, pulling his spear from the ground and taking up his earlier stance as he faced down the dozen clones that remained. He quickly dispactched the last of them with a few well placed spear thrusts.

Naruto fell to the ground, resting his back against the training post as sweat poured down his body from his workout. After a minute his breathing returned to normal and he stood, his anxiety about the upcoming Exam now completely forgot, sent away by the heat of battle. He leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head and staring up at the full moon. A soft voice spoke up behind him. "Y-You'll c-catch a cold if you stay out here t-too long."

Naruto's eyes widened as the figure spoke the exact same words that Haku had when she woke him up in the forest. He shook his head, clearing away those lingering memories of someone that knew the pain and loneliness that he had. He stood up, grabbing his spear as he did so. He turned slowly. "What are you doing here Hinata?" The girl gave a small eep and hid behind one of the training posts. Naruto sighed. "Come out Hinata, I know you're there."

The indigo haired girl slowly crept out from behind the training post, her fingers pushing nervously together. She was silent as she looked down at the ground, hiding her white eyes. "What are you doing here Hinata?" He asked again, not unkindly.

"I, I like to watch the moon." She lied. Naruto was fooled for a moment, Hinata never had been a very good liar, npt that he had talked to her much when they were in the academy. She was always so shy.

**"She came here to watch you hatchling." **Echoed Toshin's voices in his head.

Naruto shrugged. "Don't answer then, it makes no difference to me." He turned to walk away. Hinata's hand reached out, as if to grab him before he left, but stopped halfway through the motion.

"Naruto-kun, wait!" She cried out. He slowly turned back to her. She began to fidget again, poking her index fingers and staring down at the ground again. Naruto frowned and he moved forwards, closing the distance between them in a single step. He gripped her hands, placing them at her sides. Hinata gasped at the contact and still refused to look up at the boy in front of her, knowing that if she did she would faint from his closeness.

Naruto sighed again, he seemed to be doing that a lot these days. He crouched down, tilting his head up so he could look her in the eyes. "What is it Hinata?" Hinata suddenly found her mouth very dry. Naruto-kun was trying to get her to talk to him! Summoning all the courage she had she managed to form a few words.

"W-Will y-your team b-be in the C-Chunin Exams?" Naruto nodded and stood.

"Probably, it's really all up to Kakashi-sensei though, you know?" Hinata nodded. She managed to say a few more words, though she noticed it was starting to get a bit easier to talk to Naruto this time.

"H-how do y-you think you'll d-do." Naruto glanced up at the sky for a long moment before he finally answered.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. We've got me and Sasuke as some pretty strong fighters. And then there's Sakura, she might not be very strong but she's really good at bookwork and Identifying genjutsu's, between the three of us we make a pretty good team, I'm sure we'll do fine."

He saw her nervousness and stopped, mistaking it for anxiety over the coming exam. "I'm sure you and your team will do fine as well, your team is set up a lot like ours. Shino and Kiba are your attackers. Not to meantion shino's really logical, he can make a plan out of pretty much nothing." Hinata nodded, sure that Naruto would stop there. After all, what was there to compliment about her. But still Naruto carried on, completely contradicting her thoughts. "And then there's you." For the first time in the conversation Hinata looked up, a shocked look on her face.

Naruto smiled, finally seeing her face. He tapped his eyes. "With that byakugan of yours you can see right through genjustsu, can't you?" Hinata nodded slowly. "Yep, so you don't even have to bother with identifying the signs, because your eyes always know. Plus, doesn't your clan use some kind of crazy taijutsu stye? I think it..."

He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember what he could about the jyuken. His eyes snapped open after a moment and Hinata saw pure amazement there. "It actually targets your opponent's chakra pathways doesn't it? I'm sure you'll be fine during the exam, you're a really good ninja you know? Always got perfect scores of shuriken and tests, along with second in the class when it came to taijutsu." He whistled. "That's really amazing you know?"

Hinata stared in amazement, he brain temporarily shutting down at her amazement of the situation. Naruto knew all those things about her? And he was saying that she was amazing, that she was a great ninja. She tried to disagree with him, he was wrong, no matter how nice it was of him to say such things. "N-No, I-I'm not very good at a-anything." Naruto blinked in confusion.

"How can you say things like that Hinata, you're a great ninja, one of the best I know." He laughed slightly, and for a moment Hinata was crushed because she thought he was laughing at her about all the things he had said. Not for the first time in this conversation, he proved her wrong. "You're an amazing ninja Hinata, and you shouldn't let anyone tell you anything different. They're wrong if they do, I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you could ace the Chunin Exam easy!" He shook his head. "Not me though, I've got a long way to go."

He turned and began to walk back to his apartment. He waved to her over his shoulder. "I'll see you in the exams Hinata, I'm sure you won't prove me wrong." He paused for a moment before turning around to face her. "If you ever need a sparring partner sometime..." He shrugged. "Well you know where to find me."

He was right though Hinata knew exactly where to find him, she had left him a birthday present last year, hiding in the bushes as he opened. The look of happiness on his face, and the knowledge that she had given that to him, was something she wouldn't trade for the world. She stood there for a long time as he disappeared into the shadows of the night."You're wrong about one thing though Naruto-kun, you're far stronger than you think you are." So absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she didn't once stutter throughout the entire sentence, nor did she notice the conviction in her words.

000

And that's the end of that. I had a lot of extra time today so I sat down and wrote all this. If I have enough time the next couple days you might be able to see a few more chapters, but I wouldn't count on it. I have until wednesday before school starts back up so you might see some, I'm just not sure. Be sure to read and review people. Oh yeah, here's a small hint, I have half of the next chapter written up so if I get ten reviews on this chapter by friday you'll be sure to get another chapter. That's not saying as soon as I get ten more reviews I'll post, that's saying, if I get ten reviews I'll post on friday.

ja ne,

maelstromofflames


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, sorry about the delay on the finished chapter, I can only hope that the teaser I put out was enough to tide you over until I finished the full thing. A couple of unexpected things came up, nothing major but enough to delay the prgoress of the story a bit. If things go according to pan I might be able to give you guys a small chapter on tuesday before school starts up the next day, most likely no more than two thousand words or so but hopefully enough to hold you guys off till the weekend when I really can update. If I don't have too much homework that is... Sighs sadly and shakes head

Alright everybody, due to a strong response from all of you about my choice on a Naru/Hina pairing, along with a very convincing argument from Kael Hyun, I have decided that I will try my hand at a Naru/Harem fic. It's my first so I'm not quite sure how I'll do, but if you offer me tips I will definitely take them into consideration. Kael was right about something else as well; hinata needs a huge personality makeover before she can be in the harem. This is something I've seen done in plenty of different ways so I'll jjust see where mine goes. Personally, I'm heading towards she spends more time with him and starts to feel more confident around him. Alright everyone, here's the chapter you've been waiting for, and at the time you wanted it, chapter six, the start of the Exams!

Sakura beatdown in this chapter!

000

Team Seven awaited Kakashi's arrival at the bridge as they did everyday, arriving at eight o clock and waiting till at least ten thirty before the man finally arrived. The team went about their business as usual. Sasuke leaned against the bridge's railing, arms crossed over his chest as he brooded over more ways to gain the power to kill Itachi. Sakura stood to Sasuke's right, brushing the knots from her long pink hair, fist ready to pound Naruto should he attempt to insult the avenger. Which brings us to the blond himself.

Normally Naruto would take every opportunity that arose to insult Sasuke, but today he was busy. He stood at the bank of the river that the bridge crossed, he spear stabbed into the loose sand next to him. He carefully began concentrating chakra to the soles of his feet, taking a hesitant step onto the water, before groaning in disappointment when his foot only sunk into it. Toshin's voice echoed in his head.

**"That's not how you do it! You wan't to get stronger for the exams, don't you?" **He didn't wait for an answer, instead simply continuing the lecture.**"Water walking is different than tree climbing, you can't simply concentrate a set amount, you have to constantly balance the chakra you're emitting, using it to keep you buoyant on the surface. Water's molecules are always moving, flowing. A tree's are set in one spot so it's easier to walk upon. Now try again**."

Naruto sighed, channeling the chakra and taking another try at water walking. He managed to take a shaky step onto the water, and this time his foot didn't sink. He took another step, but trying to keep chakra on the soles of both his feet was too much and he sank in up to his ankles with a loud splash. Sasuke glared down at the blond boy, not having been paying attention to what he had been doing, dismissing it as unimportant.

"What are you doing dobe? Trying to go for a swim before Kakashi-sensei gets here?" Naruto shot a glare right back.

"You remember how Zabuza was able to walk on water? Well that's what I'm trying to learn how to do!"

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only response before he turned away, going back to his brooding. Sakura walked over to the railing, she too glared down at the boy as he trudged out of the water.

"Naruto, quit being an idiot! There's no way that you could ever have the chakra control for water walking, only Sasuke-kun could ever be that great! Now shut up, you're disturbing him!" (I hate Sakura, can you tell?) Naruto didn't care about what she said, deciding that it was she who was disturbing Sasuke more. He took two steps out onto the water, this time managing to balance both feet on the water for a moment before sinking. Sakura was furious, why did that idiot always have to act up and disturb her Sasuke-kun? (Delusional isn't she?) She decided she would put a stop to it.

She stomped off the bridge, moving behind Naruto. Her fist was raised as she was about to punch him in the back of the head and send him crashing into the water. Naruto heard the air whistle behind his head and moved entirely on instinct, the instincts having been honed into him by his shadow clones. If you didn't react, you were dead, that was what he had learned. He moved quickly, his body not even realizing it was Sakura.

He tilted his head to the side, allowing her punch to sail past his head. The girl blinked, barely registering that her attack had missed. Sasuke watched too now, wondering what would happen as the boy always let her punch him. Perhaps he was finally done with allowing her to push him around. That rose Sasuke respect for the boy a few notches. In the instant all this happened, Naruto's hands shot up, grabbing her by the arm before she could pull back her fist.

He hurled her over his shoulder, sending her crashing into the water. Sakura let out a loud whoosh as the air was evacuated from her lungs. Naruto's body was moving purely on reflex now, there was no way to stop it. He let go of the girl's arm, kicking out with a foot and freeing his spear from the sand. He grabbed it as it spun in midair, pointing the dragon's horns downwards towards her throat. Naruto blinked, suddenly regaining control over his body.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, you startled me." He lowered the spear, stabbing it back into the riverbank. Sakura got up, forecing air back into hr lungs. "Naruto you freak!" She screamed, stomping off back towards her house to change clothes, they had another hour before Kakashi arrived. Naruto clutched his heart as she walked away. That had actually _hurt. _She had shot him down many times before but then he was only playing around to get her attention. But never had it hurt like this.

He sighed and went back to water walking, trying to block out all thoughts of the pink haired girl. Sasuke smiled as Sakura left, or at least smiled as much as someone like Sasuke can. "Naruto." Naruto immediately looked up from where he was beginning to try and walk on the water again. Sasuke had never called him by his name before.

"Yeah Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke had called him by his real name, he figured that the dark haired boy deserved the same.

"Why are you training so much? Is it the Exams that're coming up?" Naruto nodded and Sasuke smirked. "Like any amount of training could ever possibly help someone as hopeless as you." He said. Sasuke's respect for the blond had risen a couple notches but that didn't mean his thoughts of him had completely changed.

"Why you!" Naruto shouted, leaping up from the water and onto the bridge. He threw a punch at the avenger but Sasuke caught it easily, leaping backwards. He smirked again in that oh so annoying way of his.

"Well what do you know, the dobe has some skill." Naruto growled, ready to throw another punchand now regretting that he had left his spear down on the riverbank. Sasuke held up his hands, the smirked fading from his face. "Easy, Easy I was just kidding." Naruto blinked owlishly, staring in amazement.

"Are you serious, the great Uchiha Sasuke just deamed me worthy to mess with?" Sasuke only stared back, not saying at word. It was after a moment of silence that he spoke again.

"Do you think we'll be admitted to the exams?" He asked. Naruto laughed slightly in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me, it's a sure thing. I mean, didn't we just complete an A Rank and possibly S Rank mission? There's no way that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't recommend us!"

Sasuke nodded. "But how do you think we'll actually do?" Naruto thought for a moment before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"To be honest, I have no idea. If the chunin exams are team exercises like most everything else we do, I'm sure _we'll _be fine, but Sakura, I'm just not sure. She has virtually no taijutsu, or genjutsu, and the only ninjutsu she knows are the bunshin, henge, and kawarimi, all of those only academy level techniques." He shook his head. "She won't be able to take care of the weakest enemy there unless she trains like crazy before the exams actually start. She's a fangirl through and through."

Sasuke nodded, knowing everything that Naruto had said was true. "And what do you think we should do about it? There's only a couple days until the exam starts."

"There's nothing we can do right now, we don't have the time to train her to even become a slightly competent kunoichi. With Sakura the way she is now, there's no way she can pass." Naruto's eyes suddenly brightened as he got an idea. "After the exams, or in a few days if we don't get to take them," He saw Sasuke glared at those words and shot an even look back. "It's always a possiblity Sasuke, But if we have time, we can take her to Tenten."

"Who's Tenten?" The sharingan weilder asked.

"She's a girl I met a few days ago when I was shopping for new clothes." He tugged at the shirt and pants. "Her and her family owns their own weapons shop, though they sell shinobi gear too. She's amazing with weapons and really knows what it takes to be a true kunoichi, she knows the risks it involves, and takes it seriously." He laughed a bit. "Not like your fangirls at all huh?" Sasuke raised his eyes to the sky, as if praising kami for this gift.

The was a large poof of smoke before them, effectively cutting off all conversation the might have been said. Kakashi crouched on the bridge's railing, porn held in one hand, the other waved at them. His visible eye was closed in what looked like a smile. "Yo." There was silence for a moment and Kakashi opened the eye, not hearing Sakura's usual banshee scream. "Where's Sakura?" He asked, confused, Sakura was always the first one there." At that moment Sakura came running up, panting for breath. She now wore a red dress that looked exactly like the one she had been wearing, but dry.

"Sorry I'm late Kakashi-sensei, _someone_," Here she shot a pointed glare in Naruto direction. The blond whistled innocently and looked away. "Threw me into the river and I had to go change because I was all wet." If Kakashi cared enough her would have rolled his eyes about Sakura's amount of care for her looks.

"Anyway," Kakashi continued, completely disregarding Sakura's comment. "I've come to tell you all that I've decided to recommend Team Seven for the chunin exams." If Naruto's grin at the news had been any wider it most likely would have split his face in two.

"Alright!" He screamed excitedly. Sasuke only smirked proudly, as if he'd been sure of their recommendation the entire time, though the tinges of a true smile threatened to push through. Sakura for the most part, simply looked like she was going to be sick. Kakashi pulled three slips of white paper from his jonin vest and handed one to each of the genin.

"Now, I want you guys to show up at the academy tommorow at 2:00 pm, that's where the first part of the exams will be held. Those of you that don't want to go don't have to, you can simply wait six months for the next Chunin Exams." Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, from what he'd heard this was a team test, what Kakashi-sensei was saying now contradicted almost everything he'd heard about them. Kakashi continued on, oblivious to Naruto's thoughts. "I'll meet whoever comes at the double doors to the academy at 1:45."

He gave them all another glance. "I hope I'll see you all there, good luck, and train hard." Kakashi was oddly serious as he spoke these words, as serious as he had been when he had fought Zabuza. Team seven all unconciously stood straighter and Kakashi gave a slight, imperceptible nod. His team would do fine. With that he vanished in a leaf shunshin, leaving them all to ponder the information he had given them. Naruto turned to Sasuke, his grin only having lessened slightly.

"So Sasuke, you gonna back out?" Sasuke only turned away, looking back at the blond over his shoulder as he headed towards the Uchiha Compoud for some last minute training to sharpen skills dulled by D-Rank mission.

"Not on your life, dobe." Naruto's grin only got wider.

"Good, because you're one of the ones I want to fight the most." Sasuke only gave a small 'hn' and turned away. When he was sure he had walked a good distance away he broke into a small ghost of a smile, it passed so quick that many would think it had been a trick of the light, but it had been there.

"You've become very intersting dobe, I think I want to fight you too." Sakura only trailed after Sasuke like a lost puppy, once again asking him to go on a date with her. Naruto sighed as he watched Sakura chase after Sasuke again, not a clue in the world what it meant to be a real kunoichi, he had hoped that their experiences with Zabuza might have shown her that being a ninja wasn't just fun and games, but it seemed that he had been wrong. Without a backwards glance he hopped off the bridge, landed directly on the water, and walked to shore. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had done wate walking perfectly, even if only for a few steps.

000

And that's the end guys, I know a lot of you were expecting a longer chapter an I'm sorry but right now it's 1:30 A M, the only time I could find to myself to right and I just got through with a days worth of grappling moves training, along with swimming for over two hours, so right now, I'm tired and I want to go to bed. But I love you all so much I decided to finish this chapter before I went to bed. Also if I kept going any longer this chapter would have escalated about another 2000 words and I really want to go to bed so, Hopefully I'll see you guys tuesday, if not earlier, but you know the drill, read and review.

As of right now this story had over ten thousand views, and 121 alerts, that 9 more than demon emergence, it's also rapidly catching up in reviews, which, going by real story chapters not the notices and stuff that I _told _people not to review, only has 67. So congragulations to all of you that have read and review, sometimes the only thing that keeps me going with my stories are the facts that those numbers increase each and every day. So thanks to all of you!

Sorry about any spelling mistakes I'm tired...


	7. Chapter 7

For once I have no homewrok over the weekend, so you guy's get a new chapter!

Tell me how you guys like Naruto's new look, I'll explain it at some point in this chapter, probably, if not the explanation will definitely be in the next one.

000

The blond lying in bed raised the covers over his head, trying to get away from the bright shaft of sunlight that lanced through his window. That did him no good, he was already awake now. Naruto groaned and sat up, throwing the covers back from his body. He shook his messy hair into place, notbothering to tie it back like he usually did. He stood slowly, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he groggily made his way towards the bathroom of his small apartment. He turned the water on, splashing it into his face to wake himself up. As his vision cleared of the water, a pair of cracked cerulean eyes stared back at him from the shattered mirror. He glared at himself in the mirror, holding up a chunk of his long hair. "I can't have this for the exams." He said. "It'll only become a distraction."

He glanced once more at his reflection in the broken mirror, sighed sadly at the state of his apartment, and walked back out into the main part of the building. He pulled on a white pair of pants, placing a pair of interlocking belts that hung at his hips over top of them. He yawned widely, and unbeknownst to him, a set of fangs glinted into place of his canines. He tore open the drawer to his dresser, rifling through it's contents. He found what he was looking for after a few moments, a sleeveless black turtleneck with a sliver leaf emblazoned on the back. He forsook his ninja sandals today, instead pulling on a pair of black boots.

He glanced down at the tattered pile of clothes that had once been his chakra armor. He reached into the kunai pouch on the torn pants, drawing a single kunai from it. Naruto walked back into the bathroom, grabbing hold of his long hair. He raised the kunai to it, sawing through the hair and letting it drop to the floor. It was now at a much more managable length. The bangs of it now hung slightly in his face, but the back was smooth. Naruto's hair was no longer unruly as it had been before the transformation, it was now straight and fairly easy to manage. (If you can't imagine the hair look up a picture of Syaoran from Tsubasa chronicles.)

He made himself a quick breakfast of ramen, wolfing in down in mere seconds. He placed the bowl in the sink, dragging a hand across his lips. He grasped his spear, attaching it to his back with the handle over his left shoulder. He moved to his bed, sitting down on it and crossing his legs in the lotus position. His hands clasped before him, Naruto drew himself into his own mind.

**Mindscape** (I don't know who came up with that word but I like it.)

Naruto appeared before what had once been Kyuubi'scage. The entire area was empty. "Toshin, you here?" He called, his voice echoed loudly through the marble pathways. The sound of footsteps reached him, and Toshin stepped out of the shadows at the back of what had been the cell.

**"I'm here."**He gave Naruto's outfit a cursory glance. **"I didn't know you owned clothes like that."**He said, a slight smirk on his face. Naruto simply grinned back.

"I did quite a bit after you fell asleep yesterday." The man only nodded, waiting for Naruto to say what was on his mind, the boy was obviously troubled. "Today's the start of the Exams." He said after a moment. Toshin only nodded, a signal that Naruto should continue. "I'm," Naruto began, but stopped, looking down at his feet. "I'm actually really nervous Toshin." He said quietly. "So many things are changing around me, it's liekthe world is spinning faster and faster, and things are happening so quickly that all I can do is wait for it to stop." A concern look flashed across Toshin's face.

**"What's wrong Naruto, what going on?" **He asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Naruto still didn't look up from the ground. "Everything has changed." Narutosaid quietly. "The people I hated in the academy are people I have to entrust my life to in these exams, people I'm not even sure I really trust. Sasuke stopped Haku from killing me, but yesterday he acted so strangely. It was like he valued my opinion.But, as we talked, he had a strange look in his eyes, like greed."

Naruto raised his head and gestured around him. "And all this, this glow, this brightness. It's everything my mind should be, it's inviting to me, in ways that the sewers weren't. But this white chakra that I have, it's like flames and lightning all in one, and I can't help but think that I'm not strong enough to control that much power. I never hang out with any of my friends from the academy days, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chouji are always off on missions. Everything that should stay the same is changing," His voice began to rise in volume. "And the things that should have changed..." He stopped. "Some things are exactly the way they were, things that should have changed haven't. People still see me as the Kyuubi, even though he's dead now."

**"Naruto." **Toshin said. **"There are some things that will never change. The ignorance of people, and stupidity of humans, and maybe even the ideas of the villagers. You just have to accept that this is the way that things will be and that they will never change, because that is the way of things. That is the way of people, and of your race as a whole. Humans delude themselves, their entire perception of reality is based on what they percieve as truth. The human race's concept of things has been skewed in ways that can never be mended. Naruto, this is the way things are, and sometimes," **He clenched Naruto's shoulder hard, making sure the boy was listening. **"Sometimes, there are things that you just can't change, no matter how hard you try."**

He turned and began to step back into the shadows. **"Please Naruto, remember that." **Naruto sighed, the mindscape melting down around him to reveal his apartment. He uncrossed his legs and stood up, even though he had spent over fifteen minutes talking to Toshin, only a few seconds ha passed out here. He pulled open the door but stopped dead in his tracks. The air outside was cold, frigid even. Something landed on Naruto's head, melting into water.

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered, looking up. All around him snow was falling, pure white snow. "What in the world is going on?" He stepped back inside, grabbing a large black cloak from on top of his dresser. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders, buckling the two black belts that wrapped around the raised neck. (Vincent, yay!) He stepped back outside, the cold unable to break through his thick cloak. He jumped off the railing and down the twenty feet to the street below, landing and falling into a relax pace almost instantly. He headed towards the center of town, hoping to find the source of this snow there.

As he began to get closer to the Hokage tower, and the academy where the exams were being held today, the snowstorm intensified in strength, buffeting him with winds from nowhere and strong flurries of ice and sleet. He brushed off the snow that had accumulated on his shoulders, fighting his way through the blizzard. And at last, he found its source. Four ninja like none Naruto had ever seen stood in the center, proceeding clamly through town. The ninja wore all white, sharp contrast to what ninja in Konoha wore. One was obviously their jonin instructor, but the other three...

Naruto looked closely at them, trying to see through this overwhelming ice. A boy with white hair stood at the front of the group. He wore a black vest overtop a white t-shirt and pants. A white katana with a blue dragon wrapped around the sheath was strapped to his back. Another was a girl, her straight black hair fell down her back like a waterfall, rippling elegantly in the midst of this storm. She wore a white haori and hakema, a black shirt underneath it showed through the slits in the shoulders. Her headband was tied around her neck, but her back was to Naruto and he couldn't see the symbol. The last teammate was far different from his teammates. He had crimson red hair, and his deep green eyes seemed to bore into Naruto's soul. He wore the black hakema and a crimson red haori. He could see this boy's headband, he and the others were from the village hidden in ice. (And yes, this village is my creation, it will play a large part later so pay attention.) This boy, he was like no ninja Naruto had ever seen before.

The aura of power he gave off unconciously was more powerful than even Gaara's and it made Naruto's breath catch in his throat. But this aura was not the same bloodthristy murderous intent that Gaara gave off. It was confidence, and self assurredness. The ice began to fade away, melting as it hit the ground. The boy's two teamates turned to him, curious as to what was going on. The boy stepped towards Naruto, his footsteps slow and measured. He stood before Naruto, the ice and snow now completely gone from the air. The boy's eyes roved over Naruto, sizing him up. After a moment he held out a hand, and when he spoke his voice was smooth, yet carried an undeniable undertone of power.

"I'm Takehada Ryu, I apologize for the blizzard I had created, but it is not so much of a problem in Aisugakure." He glanced around him where over six inches of snow blanketed everything in a 1 mile radius. "But I suppose in a large city like this, it can be a bit more than a minor inconvienence. At home, I don't have to control my ability, but here I will remember to be more careful." Naruto was shocked at the news but he kept his face in a neutral expression. The inside however, was a far different story. '_He created that blizzard unconciously... just how powerful is this guy, there's no way he's just a genin.' _

"It's no problem." Narutosaid, chuckling lightly. "As you said, only a minor inconvienence. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He said, taking the boy's hand.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Ryu repeated slowly, commiting the name to memory. "I look forward to fighting you in the chunin selection exams. Your team is enter, correct?" He asked. Naruto nodded, ending the handshake.

"They are, I look forward to a fight with you. If this is your power unconciously, I like to see what you can do when you focus." Naruto grinned widely. Ryu smiled as well.

"As you wish, I don't know much about this test but I presume it is fairly hard, please do notfail before we get a chance to fight each other." Naruto's grin only widened.

"Of course not." The boy's teammates were stadiing nearby, impatiently waiting for him to move along. Ryu saw them out of the corner of his eye and gave them an almost imperceptible nod.

"It's time for me to go, but my challenge still stands, I look forward to fighting you, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto nodded.

"I won't miss it." He promised. The boy smiled a bit wider and went back to his teammates. Naruto headed towards the academy, leaping over the rooftops with ease now that they snowstorm was gone. His boots left imprints in the crisp snow but he didn't falter or slide like he would have in sandals. He leapt down from the buildings, landing at the entrance to the academy grounds. His teammates were already waiting for him, Sasuke was leaning against the stone wall, while Sakura was pacing back and forth like a sick puppy.

Sasuke smirked when he saw Narutoand his new look. "Why are you so late dobe, get caught up fixing your hair?" Naruto simply shot an icy glare at him. "Fuck off Sasuke, we can't waste time and energy fighting when we don't even know what we have ahead of us." Sakura stared at him, mouth open as if he'd just called kami a retard.

"Naruto, how dare you tell Sasuke what to do you're no-" Naruto turned away from Sasuke, his eyes locking onto hers with such intensity that she actually took a few steps back.

"Sakura, shut up." He said coolly, his voice never changing. "Let's just get inside, we can decide what to do after that." He walked past them, his earlier good cheer seemed like it had never happened. He pushed open the academy doors and blinked in suprise. "Kakashi-sensei, since when are you actaullyon time for something?" Kakashi looked up from his book, his face shifting into one of his imfamous eye smiles.

"I wouldn't miss my team's entrance into the exams. It's a good thing you all showed up too." Sakura blinked in confusion.

"But Kakashi-sensei, I thought you said we could take this test individually and that it didn't matter if one of us didn't show." Kakashiwaved a hand dismissively, closing his book and putting it in his pouch. "Oh that, that was just a lie to see if you were all ready to take it as a team, if you aren't, there's no way you'll pass this test." He shifted into a serious tone of voice. "You're all sure about this?" Kakshi aksed. They all nodded, Sakura only doing so when Sasuke did.

Kakashi smiled. "Well then, head up those stairs, and let the real test begin." Naruto smirked cracking his knuckles.

"This is gonna be fun isn't it." He asked, truning to Sasuke. His bad temper was forgotten with the prospect of a real challenge ahead. And for once, Sasuke had to agree with him.

"Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun." They both began to walk up the stairs, Sakura trailing behind. As they stepped onto the 3rd floor Naruto felt a slight sense of disorientation but shook it off. A group of people were gathered outside the testing room. Two older genin stood in front of the door, blocking the path of the younger ninja.

"Ha! If you can't even get past us, you'll stand no chance in the Chunin Exam, go home you idiots, you snotnosed little brats!" He backhanded a boy with a bowlcut wearing a green spandex suit and the boy fell to the floor, groaning. Naruto spotted Tenten as she rushed over to the boy.

"Lee!" She cried. Naruto began to move forward, quickly and silently. His hands formed the seal for kage bunshin under his cloak and another Naruto appeared on either side of him. The trio of Naruto's formed an imposing prescense and people moved out of his way as he walked towards Tenten's teammate. He knelt down beside the boy, checking his pulse and breathing.

"He's fine Tenten, just a little banged up." She blinked and stared hard at him.

"Naruto?" She asked. He grinned. "You've changed, I didn't recognize you at first." Naruto only smiled a bit more. Lee sat up, shaking his head from side to side to stop the disorientation.

"Are you alright?" Narutoasked. Lee nodded, standing back up and taking his spot beside Tenten. Naruto stood up as well, glaring at the two genin that barred his way. His normally playful cerulean eyes became twin chips of ice as he watched them. Power began to well up inside him and white electricity began to crackle over his body as he channelled Toshin'spower. His hand slowly grasped the shaft of his spear. "I suggest you move if you don't want to lose a limb." He said darkly. The genin held their place. The power slowly faded from Naruto and his eyes reverted back to normal. Not taking his eyes from them the blond called out to Sasuke.

"He Sasuke, how many flights of stairs did we go up?" He asked.

"Two, why do you- ohhhh."Naruto turned to face the assorted genin.

"This isn't the thrid floor, it's the second. But these guys were right to hold you back, if you can't even detect such a simple genjutsu like the one on this floor, you have no hope of passing these chunin exams. He turned back to the gate gaurds, sighing. "Izumo, Kotetsu, drop the henge's, I swear you two have to be the laziest ninja I have ever met" He stopped, putting a finger to his chin. "Besides Shikamaru of course but that's beside the point! You two didn't even really use a henge, all you did was make yourselves shorter."

The two 'genin' rubbed the back of their heads, their illusions disappearing to reveal the same ninja only taller.

"Looks like you caught us, huh Naruto-san?" Naruto shook his head, sighing.

"Come on guys, let's head up to the third floor."He turned and began to walk towards the staircase but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with Tenten's teammate, lee.

"Naruto-san, I wish to fight you." He said.

000

And that's the end of the chapter, sorry i didn't get around to the flashbacks but I'll put them in next chapter I swear. If I kept going this chapter would no doubt escalate to about 9000 words and I really don't have the time to write another 6000 words. I just want to get this chapter to you guys before head to bed, and then I'll start working on chapter eight tommorow.

Read, review, you all know what to do. Oh and I'll give you a hint. If I get ten reviews for this chapter, the next one will be out tommorow night or early sunday morning.

Oyasuminasai (goodnight)

Maelstrom of fire


End file.
